Mental illness- Rosenhan

Question 1

what are old views of MI?

Answer 1

1. humour imbalance- emetics, blood letting

2. supernatural causes- trepanning

Question 2

how did rosenhan define abnormality?

Answer 2

1. suffering
2. mal-adaptive
3. vivid
4. unpredictable
5. irrational
6. observer discomfort
7. violates social standards

Question 3

what are the 2 categorisation books?

Answer 3

ICD

DSM

Question 4

is categorisation good?

Answer 4

good:
- relief
- treatment
- people understand now
bad:
- labelling
- mis-sold drugs
- maltreatment

Question 5

changes in the DSM?

Answer 5

1. more medical model
2. reflects changes
3. higher the degree of the disorder as opposed to number

Question 6

what is a phobia?

Answer 6

an irrational fear of something

Question 7

what is anxiety?

Answer 7

the expectation of a threat

Question 8

what is a psychotic disorder?

Answer 8

1. schizophrenia
2. depression

avolition= lack of motivation

Question 9

method & ethics?

Answer 9

• disorders are too vague so makes diagnoses si its subjective
• racial bias (black men more likely to be diagnosed as schizophrenic than white men)
• the terms “madness” and “insanity”are -ve and lead to labelling.

Question 10

usefulness?

Answer 10

• helped make the DSM and ICD less politicised and socially desirable
• improved validity and reliability of diagnoses
• educating staff about what it means to be “insane”

Question 11

nature vs nurture?

Answer 11

nurture:

• abnormality= going against social norms
• supernatural causes
• labelling makes a SFP

Question 12

freewill vs determinism?

Answer 12

freewill:
- freewill to enter hospital but couldn’t leave unless staff said so.
determinism:
- labelling means they can’t ever recover

Question 13

reductionism vs holistic

Answer 13

reductionist:
- using statistical infrequency to determine abnormality as it changes with culture

holistic:

• rosenhan’s abnormality considers what about behaviour is abnormal and is applied to different cultures
• DSM considers age and gender to make it more applicable

Question 14

individual vs situational:

Answer 14

individual:

• statistical infrequency
• affected by disorders and the gods as well as biology

situational:

• labelling
• imprinting of the environment

Question 15

Aim Rosenhan?

Answer 15

Sanity vs insanity

Question 16

Sample?

Answer 16

8 psychology students

And doctors and nurses

Question 17

Design?

Answer 17

Field
IV- symptoms
DV- admission & diagnostic label

Question 18

Method?

Answer 18

1. Admission interview voices “bump” and “hollow”
2. In hospital no longer hearing voices “when am i being discharged”
3. Noted other behaviours in a notebook and behaviours staff
4. Discharged themselves

Question 19

Results?

Answer 19

• Ptts admitted with schizophrenia
• released with schizophrenia in remission
• staff no suspicions
• 30% patients did
• all behaviours pathological
• depersonalisation

Question 20

Conclusions?

Answer 20

• labelling makes all behaviours insane

- differentiating sanity from insanity hard